If you have a postponed possession order and you don't keep to all of the conditions, your landlord can apply to the court for a date to be fixed for when you have to leave. After this date passes your landlord can then apply for the bailiffs to evict you.

Order to adjourn the case

An adjournment means the case cannot be decided yet and the hearing should be delayed.

This is called adjourning the case. This can be done either indefinitely or for a fixed period of time.

For example, this can happen if:

your landlord says you have a certain type of tenancy but you disagree

the judge gives you more time to sort out a housing benefit claim

you don't owe much and you don't have a history of rent arrears

the judge needs more evidence before making a decision

When the case is adjourned you may be given a date for another court hearing. Or your landlord may be told to reapply to the court after a fixed period of time or if the circumstances of the case change.

In the meantime you have the right to remain in your home.

As a condition of the case being adjourned, you may have to pay back a certain amount of your rent arrears each week.

The court can decide that if you keep to the conditions the case doesn't have to go back to court.

Court order to dismiss the case

The court may decide that your case should be dismissed because there is no reason why you should be evicted.

This is also known as striking out a case.

Your case could be dismissed if your landlord:

does not have the right to apply for possession

has not proved to the court that there is a legal reason to evict you (when this necessary)

has not followed the correct procedure for bringing the case to court

If the case is dismissed you have the right to remain in your home with the same conditions as before.

Money judgment

A money judgment is an order that says that you have to pay what you owe to your landlord, regardless of whether you are evicted.

A money judgment affects your credit rating. This could make it more difficult to find a new home.

Order for court costs

The court may decide you must pay some or all of your landlord's legal costs.

This can happen if:

a possession order is made

the case is adjourned

you leave the property after your landlord starts the court case but before the order is made

Getting a court order changed

You might be able to apply to the court to have a possession order cancelled or suspended.